Senior Software Engineer (Contract) – Market Data

Inside IR35 | £500-575 per day (flexible) | Hybrid – London

A leading global investment management firm is seeking Senior Software Engineers (Contract) to join its Market Data Platform team on a high-impact engagement. This is a critical hire, with the opportunity to step into a highly visible area of the business where performance, scale and reliability truly matter.

This team sits at the heart of a systematic trading environment, responsible for ingesting and processing vast volumes of real-time market data through direct exchange connectivity. The platform operates at extreme scale – handling 15–20 billion data points per day, with peak rates of over 1 million events per second – and accuracy is non-negotiable.

Two contract roles are available, making this an excellent opportunity for experienced contractors who can hit the ground running.

The Role

• Design, build and optimise components of a high-throughput market data platform
• Work across Java (primary) and Python in a performance-critical environment
• Improve and modernise older parts of the stack with a focus on scalability and latency
• Partner closely with Data Management teams and Quant Traders within the systematic trading business
• Contribute to the ongoing expansion of a specialist market data engineering function

Required Experience

• Strong commercial experience in Java (essential)
• Solid Python development experience
• Background in market data, trading systems, or low-latency / high-performance platforms (highly desirable)
• Experience working with large-scale, real-time data systems
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-stakes environments

Contract Details

• Rate: £500-575 per day (Inside IR35 – some flexibility for the right candidate)
• Location: Hybrid – 3 days per week onsite in the City of London.
• Start: ASAP
• Contract type: Senior-level contractor engagement

Interview Process

• 30-minute introductory discussion with the hiring manager
• 1-hour technical / programming interview with a team member
• Possible final 30-minute follow-up
  (at least 1 interviews conducted in person)